Today, the world celebrates Earth Day.
Girl Scouts has a long, proud history
of giving back to the Earth—environmental stewardship has been a key part of
Girl Scouting from the very beginning.
Anna Lloyd is one example of many Girl
Scouts who makes the environment a priority her life.
Anna first saw the Teton mountain
range from the window of a plane in 2005 on her way to attend the Wyoming
Wildlife Wonders destination
with a group of her fellow Girl Scouts.
Through this program, held at the Teton Science Schools, Anna spent a week
studying the ecology of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. (She also did some
hiking, singing, camping, and new-friend-making, of course!)
Anna was so inspired by the trip that
it changed the course of her life.
Wyoming Wildlife Wonders |
After receiving a degree in Biology and
Outdoor Adventure and Sports Leadership from West Virginia University, she knew
exactly where she wanted to go: back to those mountains in Wyoming.
Today, Anna is a field instructor at
the Teton Science Schools, where she works with Girl Scouts who take the very
same trip that changed her life. She is passionate about the environment and
wants to make sure more girls have the opportunity to study it in the same
hands-on way she did.
“They need to experience the grandeur
of the western mountains,” Anna says. “They need to feel a little sleep-deprived
scouring Yellowstone for wildlife, and they need to be shown that as women they
[can] be and do whatever they want in this life. There are no limitations for
them.”
Do you know a 13-to-18-year-old girl looking
to make the world a better place, who wants to travel, enjoy the outdoors, and
explore unique ecosystems and their wildlife this summer? Click on the links
below and apply now! There are still scholarships available for the following
trips to help offset expenses.
Wyoming Wildlife Wonders and the five destinations
featured above are funded in part by Girl Scouts of the USA’s Elliot Wildlife Values Project.